What boosted the graduation rate for African-American students in Anne Arundel County?

The high school graduation rate for African-American and low-income students in county schools rose in 2015, while the rate for Hispanic students decreased from the previous year, the school system announced Friday.

"That is a tribute to the incredible work that goes on in classrooms, schools and offices across our county every day," Superintendent George Arlotto said. "The data, however, also shows areas in which we have to find ways to improve. We are committed to doing exactly that."

The graduation rate for African-American students rose for the fifth consecutive year, increasing 3.6 percentage points to 85.9 percent, according to data from the Maryland State Department of Education. It has risen 8.1 percentage points in five years, "the largest gain of any AACPS racial or ethnic student group," the school system said in a news release.

The graduation rate for students receiving free and reduced-price meals increased 6.2 percent.

The school system has an 88 percent graduation rate, one point higher than the state average, the release said. The graduation rate refers to the percentage of students who receive diplomas four years after entering high school.

Seven of the county's 13 schools achieved graduation rates of 90 percent or higher: Chesapeake Science Point hit 100 percent, followed by Old Mill and South River (94.6), Broadneck and Severna Park (93.7), Arundel (93.4) and Southern (90.8), the release said.

Annapolis High School posted the biggest gain from the previous year by rising 5.4 percentage points to 87.8 percent, the release stated.

Annapolis High School's student body is 34 percent Caucasian, 33 percent African-American and 26 percent Hispanic/Latino, with 51 percent of students receiving free or reduced meals, according to a 2014 profile on the school's website.

The school's principal, Sue Chittim, said the jump is the result of a focus on "kid-by-kid data" and "compassionate scheduling."

"Gone are the days when we take a 9th grade class and plug them all into those beginning courses," she said. "We take our time to make sure there's a readiness level and they're taking classes of interest."

Civil rights activist Carl Snowden said the graduation numbers for African-Americans are encouraging, but he is concerned about other indicators of success, such as test scores.

"I would be thrilled if the achievement gap was closing at the same rate, which it's not," he said.

Snowden said that more than graduation rates, the achievement gap among students is a "a greater indicator of whether the system is serving our children."

Data released in October showed African-American and Hispanic students in Maryland performed significantly below other racial groups on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers tests.

The county school system is about 20 percent African-American and 12 percent Hispanic.

Snowden said he would like to see more funding go toward early education, like kindergarten, so that "kids start off getting the assistance they need to ensure they do well throughout."

There was a 3.4 percent decrease in the graduation rate for Hispanic students, following a 3.2 percent increase the previous school year, the release states.

"The Hispanic numbers are certainly concerning to us," Mosier said.

With a county Hispanic population that has more than tripled in a decade, the school system has struggled to support these students with a sufficient number of bilingual facilitators "who provide a crucial link between school and home," Mosier said.

The school board will meet on Wednesday and review the superintendent's recommended budget, which includes over $500,000 for eight positions to support Hispanic students, Mosier said.

Charlestine Fairley, an Edgewater resident and former dean of Sojourner-Douglass College, said she questions statistics that group students together. She prefers to focus on the individuals.

"I would like to see smaller classes, and I would like to see highly qualified teachers who believe that all children can learn and who are sensitive to the cultural backgrounds of all students," she said.

Jason Fahie, a health and physical education teacher at Marley Middle School in Glen Burnie, said race may be beside the point.

"As long as you have poverty, you'll have an achievement gap, with students who are black, white, or Hispanic," he said.

But it's up to the student's support systems in school and at home to set expectations, he said.